


Searching For Inspiration (And Then I Found You)

by CorvusCorvidae



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 21:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3784165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCorvidae/pseuds/CorvusCorvidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘Hi, I find you attractive, please recycle by passing this on to another attractive person’</p>
<p>or, Raven finds the cards in Clarke's bag and urges her to use them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Searching For Inspiration (And Then I Found You)

**Author's Note:**

> Saw the cards on tumblr, thought it might be fun to write.

When Clarke had said she wanted to hang out, Raven had thought they were going to binge movies or go out for lunch or something. She didn’t quite realise that meant they were going on a trek of inspiration.

As of late, Clarke had been struggling to draw or sketch anything. Or rather, whatever she did start sketching would descend into chaos. Half-finished drawings, deserted canvases dripping paint, and scribbling in the margins, none of it amounted to anything. She was stuck in a rut and needed to get out of it.

That’s how Raven and Clarke found themselves sitting on a bench at the local art gallery, eying the various pieces around the room. Well, Clarke was looking at the work on the walls. Raven had grown a little bored and was currently rooting through Clarke’s bag for anything interesting. She’d already updated Instagram, checked Facebook, and organised her own belongings in her bag. Their trip really needed to end soon.

Clarke, as it turned out, carried a lot of crap. Raven sat frowning, pulling out Clarke’s purse, phone and keys, dumping them on her lap. Next was the hairbrush, a questionable shade of lipstick, and a compact mirror. All of that was perfectly normal. There was what could only be described as a stationary cupboard in one compartment of the bag, with pencils, pens, highlighters, even a paintbrush. Raven should not have been surprised.

Closing that, she moved into the next compartment, finding a stash of loose change, which thanks, Clarke, and then a bunch of business cards.

"What are these?" Raven asked, frown back in place, pulling the pack of cards out, to investigate further. It took Clarke a second to see what they were before shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively.

"Oh, Octavia gave me them when I broke up with Finn.” Honestly, Clarke had forgotten what she’d done with them, or that they even existed. 

The cards were all identical, white paper with black text, all reading ‘Hi, I find you attractive, please recycle by passing this on to another attractive person’. They were meant to be a joke, to be tucked away in a drawer and forgotten about, or used when drunk.

They were not meant to be handed out seriously. They were not meant to be used to pick people up. And they were not meant to be the focus of Raven and Clarke’s trip of inspiration.

"Have you ever used them?" Raven asked, a smirk forming on her lips.

"No, of course not, why would I use them?” Clarke shook her head, finding the suggestion absurd.

“Cause these are ace. Totally an awesome way to hit on people.” Surely that was self-explanatory?

“I don't want to hit on anyone,” Clarke replied. Right now, she wanted to find her inspiration, to get her drive back, to draw and paint and sketch like she used to. Where had that gone?

"Well that can't be true,” Raven continued. “There are loads of hot people around, and you haven't gone out with anyone since Finn, nor have you even had a one night stand since he left.”

“Maybe I've matured. Maybe I'm past that,” Clarke offered, shrugging.

"Or you're chicken shit." That sounded about right.

"Raven,” Clarke warned, giving her a look, but Raven just rolled her eyes in return.

“No I'm serious, I think you're maybe a little put off since Finn, and that's ridiculous because you're hot, and there are other hot people out there too.” So many hot people, why wasn’t Clarke appreciating that fact?

“You should be a motivational speaker,” Clarke deadpanned, turning back to the art.

"Shut up, now come on, baby steps. Take one of these cards and go hand it out.” Pulling a card from the top, Raven offered it up.

“What, why?”

“Prove you're not chicken shit,” she grinned, and Clarke’s mouth fell open in shock.

"Raven," she whined, because please, Clarke was not going to back down from what basically was a challenge.

"Come on, just take the first step. I'm not saying marry them, but maybe ask them out if they seem interested. This card is doing most of the work for you, letting them know you’re interested, it’s easy.” Chewing on her bottom lip, Clarke gave it a thought. Raven couldn’t help but grin because she knew she was going to crack. Damn right.

“Fine, give me a damn card,” she relented, grabbing it from her hand. Now it was Clarke’s turn to inspect it, to ensure it didn’t say anything too risqué.

“That’s the spirit,” Raven mock cheered, giving a small fist pump in support, and god, if they weren’t in public, Clarke would have pushed her off the bench.

Raven watched as Clarke perused the room, looking for someone hot. Personally, Raven could see loads, and seriously, who knew this many hot folk checked out the art gallery on a Thursday afternoon? But, Clarke's taste was a bit more acquired, so this was going to take a few minutes, at least.

Eventually, someone did catch Clarke's eye, but Raven couldn't see who it was from the group of folk who has stopped in front of them. Before she could say anything, Clarke was up off the bench and walking towards them, card in hand.

Little did she know, that hand was shaking, as Clarke tried to calm her nerves. She knew this was all so ridiculous, but she felt like she had to prove something now. Plus, maybe it would shut Raven and Octavia up about her being single.

It had taken her a moment, but then she saw a girl standing at one of the more abstract pieces of work. Her hair was braided, curly, and out of her face, which, well, there was a reason Clarke had chosen to give her the card. She was stunning, simply put. There was something so captivating about her, that Clarke’s hands were shaking and she felt like this was all one horrible mistake.

Glancing over her shoulder, Clarke spotted Raven, who was watching her. With a thumbs up and a smile, Raven urged her on. It surely wasn’t going to be as bad as she thought it was. It couldn’t, or Clarke would never be able to come back to this particular art gallery.

Right, here it goes. Now or never.

"Excuse me," Clarke began, pulling the girl’s attention away from the painting in front of her. She turned to see who had spoken, and gosh, she was just as elegant and gorgeous as Clarke thought she was from across the room. No Monet, that was for sure.

"Yes?" the girl asked, glancing at Clarke, her face stoic, and okay, that wasn't making this any easier. She might have been beautiful, but all harsh angles and straight lines, frown on the brow, and already Clarke could feel her confidence waning.

"Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to give you this.” Holding out the card, Clarke watched as the girl eyed it curiously before accepting it. Before allowing her a chance to read it, Clarke mad her escape. "Okay, have a good day.”

Not waiting for any further reaction, because that had been so much scarier than she thought possible, Clarke hightailed it back to Raven, who was now no longer where Clarke left her. What the hell?

Spinning on the spot, Clarke finally caught sight of her, away on the other side of the room. She moved to Raven’s side just in time for her conversation to finish with some random guy Clarke had never met before.

"How’d it go?” Raven asked, all excited, eyes wide, with a big smile.

“Dreadful, I am never doing that again,” Clarke replied, shaking her head. She felt like such a fool. Why had she allowed herself to be talked into that?

"What really? These cards are a goldmine. I already have three numbers, and a date setup with that last guy. Can I keep these?” Of course she did.

“Sure, knock yourself out.” There was no way Clarke was ever going to use them again. Never in a million years. They were dreadful.

That incident bordered on mortifying, and if Clarke never went through an experience like that again, she would count herself lucky.

“So, are we going finish walking round, or do you want to pick up more people?” Clarke asked, turning to Raven, who laughed and tucked the cards back into her bag.

“Come on, let's keep going, I can behave myself for the rest of this trip.” Smiling at Raven, Clarke wrapped her arm around her waist and gave her a side hug of support.

“Thanks, and I promise, next trip, you can pick where we go and what we do.” That would make up for this trip.

“No need, these cards have made this trip awesome.” Laughing, Clarke shook her head and the two of them moved towards the archway, leading into the next room.

“Excuse me?” a voice called, catching Raven’s attention, who tugged on Clarke’s sleeve to get her attention, too. It was the girl, the girl from earlier, and Clarke’s stomach dropped. Oh God.

“Yeah?” Raven asked, grinning, and God Clarke wanted to slap that smirk off her face. There was no way the girl was there with good news, she looked stoic, annoyed even, and Clarke fully expected to get a telling off for that card.

“You...” The girl’s eyes moved to Clarke’s, catching her gaze, and she stepped a little closer, so that she wasn’t having to speak so loud. “You forgot something.”

Frowning, Clarke moved past Raven, to accept whatever the girl had in her hand. Raven chuckled as she stepped back, getting out the way. This was turning out to be so much better than expected.

Clarke, on the other hand, was dreading this.

However, when Clarke’s fingers touched on the card in the girl’s hand, it had her frowning. She was being given the card back. The exact same card she had given to the girl.

‘Hi, I find you attractive, please recycle by passing this on to another attractive person’

Looking up, to see if this was a mistake, Clarke saw a small smile playing at the girl’s lips.

“I’m Lexa,” she said, looking back at Clarke, biting her bottom lip as she did so. “My number’s on the back. You should...you should call me sometime.”

Wait, what? What was happening?

“She will, she will definitely call you,” Raven said, interrupting, nodding quickly, as Clarke stood completely shocked.

Shoving Raven away, and shooting her a glare, Clarke finally realised what was happening.

“I’m Clarke, and I will, I will definitely call you, Lexa,” she managed, repeating Raven’s words, and was met with a warm smile in return.

“I look forward to it,” Lexa replied, and then gave them both a nod as she stepped away, leaving Clarke to watch her go.

“Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you these cards were a fucking goldmine?” Raven asked, laughing and shaking Clarke’s arm as she did so.

Clarke really didn’t believe it at first, but yes, yes those cards were a goldmine. Looking back at the one in her hand, she flipped it over, read the digits neatly scrawled over the back, and eyed the way Lexa had signed her name.

The butterflies in her stomach were a good sign, and the grin on her lips was another. But the best sign of all was the sudden desire to draw.

Thank you, Lexa.


End file.
